A new gameplay trailer for Streets of Rage 4 has been released which gives us a better idea of what the final product will look like when it eventually hits the (ahem) streets.

Currently in production at Guard Crush Games, this highly-anticipated sequel will feature the artistic talents of Lizardcube, the studio behind the sublime Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap remake. DotEmu is handling publishing, and is yet to actually confirm that the title will be coming to Switch... but put it this way, if it doesn't, we'll happily consume not only our own hat, but yours as well.

The trailer shows Axel and Blaze strutting their stuff through various environments, and includes some cool moves – such as Axel's signature overhead throw and the ability to hit enemies while they're in mid-air. The most exciting thing is the end image, which is a revision of the existing key art which shows what appears to be two additional characters:

Streets of Rage 4

Who could these characters be? One is holding a guitar; could that be Skate, all grown up? The other has what looks like a robot arm - is that Dr. Zan? Your guess is as good as ours at this point.

It is stressed that the gameplay, sounds and music are all 'work in progress' so things may change before the game is finished. One change we hope is forthcoming is the inclusion of music by the one and only Yuzo Koshiro, whose soundtracks for the first three games on the Mega Drive are the stuff of video gaming legend.

Be sure to check out our interview with the team behind the game here while you wait for that (hopefully) inevitable confirmation of a Switch release.